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THE MEASUREMENT OF A CURLING STONE

Curlers throw rocks up and down the sheet hundreds, perhaps thousands of times in a season, but do they ever stop to consider just how wide or heavy the curling stone really is? While stones are generally consistent from club to club and rink to rink, there is some provision in the rule book for a bit of variety. Here’s what the rule book dictates:

Curling stones, including handle and bolt, shall weigh a maximum of 44 pounds (19.96 kilograms) and a minimum of 38.5 pounds (17.46 kilograms), shall have a maximum circumference of 36 inches (91.44 centimetres), and shall be a maximum of 5.5 inches (13.97 centimetres) in height, measured between the bottom and top of the stone.

The rules indicate maximums for circumference and height, and a maximum and minimum for weight, so there is room to create a shorter, narrower, and lighter rock. So far, however, most manufacturers use the maximums as the standard measurements.

THE FIRST CURLING STAR?

Howard Wood of Winnipeg was one of the first curlers to achieve notoriety across a wide swath of Canada. A three-time Brier champion, he was a vivacious, gregarious man who quickly became popular with opponents and fans. A few notes about Wood:

• He began curling in 1903 on a backyard rink built by his father.

• In 1908, he played in his first Manitoba Bonspiel, the first of what would be a remarkable 70 consecutive appearances in the grand championship. That mark put him into the Guinness Book of World Records. He managed to win the overall title on eight occasions.

• In 1925, Wood and his team won an all-expenses-paid trip to tour Ontario and Quebec, and curl teams in that part of the country. The rink played 19 games and won 18 of them, several by more than 20 points.

• Wood won his first Brier in 1930 playing skip. Two years later, he won again, but this time playing third for Johnny Congalton.While many players have won a Brier at lead, second, or third and then later won as a skip, dropping down in position as Wood did is a feat that wasn’t matched again until Pat Ryan, who skipped the Canadian champions in 1988 and ’89, won as third for Rick Folk in 1994.

• Wood’s son, Howard Jr., became an accomplished curler, and played third for his father when they won the Brier in 1940.To distinguish between the two, the senior Wood became known affectionately as Pappy.

• The 1940 Brier was the first to be played in an arena, the Winnipeg Amphitheatre. The final round was played before 5,000 fans, and they were not disappointed. Wood and his Manitoba team beat Cliff Manahan’s Alberta foursome 17-11 to clinch the title.

• In 1947, Wood won the first Carspiel, a competitive event that awarded four cars as first prize.Wood had to play a delicate-weight double with his final shot to win the title. It appeared to be a shot that was next to impossible to make. But Wood threw the rock and without waiting for it to finish, calmly walked over to one of the cars that had been conveniently brought onto the ice as a marketing tool, opened the door, and sat down in the driver’s seat, just in time to watch the rock make the perfect split and come to rest for a single point and the title. He and his team drove home from Nipawin, Saskatchewan, in four new Hudsons.

Curling Fact

According to the Canada Curling Stone Company, the average lifespan of a curling stone is 50 years, and it can travel up to two hundred kilometres a year, up and down a sheet of ice.

CARVED IN GRANITE

The first Canadian men’s curling championship was held in 1927 at Toronto’s Granite Curling Club. The event was held there continuously until 1939 and one final time in 1941. Some facts about the original home of the Brier:

• The club was started in 1875 by five prominent Toronto businessmen who were members of the Toronto Curling Club. They were unhappy at the direction of that club and its decision to build a new facility on Adelaide Street.

• The first honorary patron of the new club was Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister.